I didn't want to steer the other thread off topic about Assets so thought I would post this subject/question in it's own thread. I have also made this claim for years and gotten some ridicule over it until I proved it to people that happened to be with me. Does anyone else here have any such claims? My dad is the only other person I've ever known that seems to share this "Deer force" or "sixth sense" ability. If so, can you describe it? Historically, I've had trouble coming up with a description I felt did it justice. Have you noticed any times when it's more prevalent or times it doesn't work? How does it effect your overall hunting ability? Like, can you find deer easier, choose stands faster and easier than others and just all around out perform the average hunter that has no such claim of extra sensory perception? I'll share some of my experiences too but since I'm the OP'er, I don't want to "poison the well" so-to-speak.
some people obviously have more heightened senses than others, whether it is sight or hearing. everyone has that friend who if you didn't know better you'd say was blind as a bat and maybe he really does need to go to the eye doctor or maybe he's just an idiot. did you see that deer walk right by you? uh no, I didn't see it. I must have been dozing... /sigh a similar example, is hunting mushrooms like morels that are masters of camouflage in the spring woods. I've been doing it for 40+ years and consider myself pretty gifted when it comes to spotting good habitats for them and then seeing the rascals first before everyone else! all my friends think it is some 6th sense and that obviously I have mushroom finding superpowers, which is far from the case. I have lots of experience, I know what I am looking for and how to distinguish it in the leaves and I'm not suffering from cranial-rectal invasion while on the hunt. this year there were times when I was tired that I missed morels and my wife would come through behind me and say hey what about this one! and these over here?!?!?! what's wrong with you?!?!?! it is very important to remain hyper vigilant in the woods if you want to see/hear the deer first. we can all remember those times when we were NOT being vigilant and look up and holy crap there is a deer 10 yards from me! how did that even happen?!?!?! cause you were not paying attention!!! I want to believe that I have the deer force, but the more reasonable & practical explanation is that my head it not up my rear while I'm in the woods. when it is, or when I am tired, or super bored, or distracted watching the birds, I'm always caught off guard when/if I see a deer. /unless I'm on acid, or mushrooms, or peyote then this is all I see...
I always here deer but cant see them and it drives me crazy... Not exactly a super power but kinda the same
I would lay claim to a similar thought or mindset as you and the person you quoted. However, I won't attempt to label it as I don't feel it is a sense some just have and others don't I feel it is acquired. Acquisition starts with the first time we hit the woods and is compounded with every visit, every book we read, every sign we analyze and ever encounter we have. I think some hunters are simply blessed with a highly tuned mindset to what deer think and desire to do given any certain thing or situation. This is why I think some un-intentionally even at times can spot, feel or quickly find deer others wouldn't have seen or felt their presence.
Haha, Okie...I think we do all know that person that just has trouble seeing deer or are "deer blind". Yeah I don't think it's anything "supernatural" or a super power but something is definitely not normal either. I have considered it just being a result of subconscious senses creating an illusion of an extra sense...that may well be it. It's really similar to the feeling that someone is watching you. Only thing is that in my case, I've gotten the sense there was a deer nearby causing me to come to alert and then have the deer walk out of brush into a field 3-400 yards down range. I don't think my hearing or sight caught any subtle hint that far away but I suppose it's possible. The only time mine hasn't worked has been while I was operating equipment and really intent on what I was doing.
Haha, I suppose it would! I've actually had that happen before also. Some bucks are absolutely covered in rut stank and are hard to not smell if they're upwind. The nine point I harvest last season was about that smelly. I was afraid he'd taste bad but I got him cleaned up and cut up and in spite of being old and really rutty that was the best, cleanest and most tender venison I've ever had. Good thing there was a lot of it! Could be an acquired trait. Dad was hunting and fishing and trapping from the time he could walk, well...being taken out with his dad. Was hunting on his own when he was a kid but there really wasn't many deer in MO at that time. Dad was born in 1940. He seemed to have this deer sense when he first started hunting deer. He did the same thing with me from the time I can literally remember I was going out in the field with dad.
